Michael
The winter had passed since Solon had arrived in Reen. Due to the cold weather hitting the county, Michael and most everyone had spent their time inside except for training. Now with the spring being right around the corner, Michael was standing in the courtyard with the rest of his family and the knights lined up as well. Michael was dressed in the fancy clothes that he hated and placed in a line with his siblings, waiting for the arrival of his uncle, Count Duncan Grim, and his family that had announced their visit.
It was always like this when he visited, at least the last time Michael had witnessed his uncle visiting even though he was very young back then and his memories were somewhat clouded. Michael didn't understand why they had to make such a big fuss over the brother visiting, they never had for anyone else. He had asked both Solon and Geron and they had agreed that he would understand once his uncle arrived if Michael paid attention. So now he was standing there surrounded by the might of House Rowan all donning the crossed swords on a red field family heraldic, even his father was wearing it.
The first thing he saw of the visitors was two pairs of knights entering the gate, they looked battle-hardened like the older knights of House Rowan and were donning the heraldic of house Grim, two swords on a black field. He had learned early on that the two brothers shared a strong bond, and the bond was symbolized on their heraldic with the sword of the other being embedded on each one's house banner.
Following the knights came Lord Grim himself on a huge black horse. He was wearing chain armor and had an expensive-looking sword on his waist, the kinship between him and Lord Rowan was very apparent as they shared the same black hair and hard facial features, but his uncle had no beard.
Behind Lord Grim came a fancy carriage and then more knights and servants. The convoy stopped in the courtyard and Lord Grim got off his monstrous horse with a wide smile. He stepped over to his brother his arms opened wide. "Brother!" Lord Rowan also smiled and embraced his brother and slapped him on the back. "Good to see you, little brother. Long time no see. You really should get out more."
Lord Grim looked at the line of his nephews and nieces and said, "It most certainly has if I look at your children, damn there are even two new ones, do you ever stop." Lord Rowan laughed loudly, and Michael looked at his father with a somewhat confused expression. "Not everyone is as content as you." The door of the carriage opened and out came Lady Helena Grim.
"Helena, great to see you," Father said and hugged her as well. Lady Rowan walked up to greet them as well but Michael noticed that their greetings were much colder than with his father. After a moment Lord Grim's daughter also left the carriage, her fire-red hair - which she shared with her mother - bound to a ponytail, she jumped down the step ignoring the hand a knight had offered her. She was only three days older than Michael but showed considerable grace in her movements.
"Come on kids bring it in for your favorite uncle!" They began to move, and it took a while until all greetings were finished. Michael wasn't particularly fond of this situation - too many people - so he greeted his uncle and aunt, exchanged a couple of words, and kept a little to the back.
After the greetings were finished Lord Grim looked around and then said, "You really have put on quite a show here, dear brother. This will be hard to top but I brought you a gift to lessen my shame." He signaled towards his knights who then dragged a girl in chains to the front. Her appearance wasn't like anyone Michael had ever seen, with dark brown wavy hair, her skin covered in paint and her clothes made from furs that looked like they had seen better days. She herself looked like she had seen better days to be honest, covered in bruises and scars. She looked a little older than Matthias - Michael guessed - and she was fighting like her life depended on it.
Michael could hear his mother breathing in sharply as she saw the girl approaching. "What is this thing doing here?" Thing? Michael thought. He wondered what she had done to be put in chains like that.
His uncle looked very satisfied as the girl was forced onto her knees next to him. "One of the barbarians across my border, she might not look like it but she is a pretty strong fighter and fierce. She could give you a good fight, I am sure."
Lord Rowan looked at her and then at his brother. "Duncan, couldn't you have just brought me a nice sword or something? Beating up a prisoner seems pretty inhumane, don't you think." Lord Grim rolled his eyes and said a little annoyed, "Not more inhumane than killing animals if you ask me, they are barely more than that anyway. You wouldn't complain if this was one of these beastmen your border is dealing with."
Lord Rowan stared at his brother with a stern gaze and the latter finally gave up. "Okay, okay, I kind of brought her to get a rise out of you and to prevent you from complaining about not getting into interesting fights."
"I knew it, you rascal," Lord Rowan smiled satisfied, and signaled some guards to take the prisoner away. The moment they got her on her feet she spun around and kicked one of the guards in the stomach. The man fell over and she turned around to attack the other guard when she found herself faced with Lord Rowan's sword. Michael hadn't even seen him draw it; he was way faster than everything he had ever seen Geron do.
"She is a fighter that much is clear. Be careful with this one," he warned his guards, and they dragged her away. Michael followed them with his eyes until they vanished in a doorway.
"Aren't you going to greet me, little cousin?" He turned around a little jumpy and was now face to face with the freckled face of Tara. She chuckled at seeing his confused face and hugged him. "What do you mean little cousin? You are only three days older than me." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her face. "And I will hold these three days over your head for the end of time, little cousin." He also smirked at her, she was nice and also visited more frequently than her father ever did.
They were funneled into the hall next for a welcome feast and to share news and gossip.
"You must have been so excited when you awakened your light," Tara said, probably more excited than Michael was himself. He smiled and thought about the grueling training of the last months, his mind continuously strained and on the edge of breaking but at least he could make a light by now, only a basic one without any incantations and smaller than he liked but a light, nonetheless. "It is a lot of work, but I like it, it is a unique challenge."
"So, it is true you really have become a study rat, I didn't believe it." She looked a little shocked. Michael rolled his eyes amused but couldn't say anything before his father raised his voice to address all the nobles, knights, and guests. "Welcome everyone, I am glad that you have come so numerously. We are especially happy to welcome my brother and his retinue from Grent County. In these times of the rising mana, we will have to stand together to keep our people safe from the mage and the monster." He raised his glass, and the present applauded his short speech, Michael had a somewhat sour taste at the mention of mages but clapped, nonetheless.
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Next, his uncle, who stood next to Lord Rowan, raised his voice. "We are grateful for the invitation and the hospitality. To be honest mostly for the wine, I wish we had good stuff like this." Laughter echoed through the hall and Lord Grim smiled, "Jokes aside, as always the Houses of Grim and Rowan shall stand together for eternity, the way we have done, even before they existed. To that, I raise my glass and say forever." He raised his glass, and the people followed him in chorus, "Forever!" Lord Grim looked rather pleased with the reply and the feast continued.
Michael listened to some of the conversations here and there, most were talking about hunting or fashion. He tried his best to join some of the conversations, but he felt bad for them, they were always trying so hard to suppress their feelings and be polite. He was also incredibly bored by the subjects, that he quickly stopped his effort and excused himself from the event.
Wandering through the hallways, he tried to calm his nerves. He didn't like nobles, at least most of them. they were disingenuous and arrogant, and many of them were as uneducated as any farmhand. Michael sighed; he knew he would have to learn to get along with them, but they made it difficult for him. Really why would anyone give these people any power, except for some like Viscount Telp, they seem like incompetent pricks, he thought. Michael breathed in a couple of times, calming down wasn't working at all it seemed. He stepped out on the training court and saw the strange woman chained on a wooden pole guarded by two men.
Her eyes lowered to the ground; she looked like she was sleeping but the tension in her body suggested otherwise. Michael approached her and the guards stood straighter before stopping him. "Milord, please keep your distance, we can't risk any incident." Michael nodded at them and stopped 5 meters from the prisoner, inspecting her.
"What did you do to get caught?" No answer, she probably didn't even understand him. Suddenly a strange sentence came from behind him, and the prisoner's head shot up. Michael didn't understand a word of what was just said and turned around to see Solon walking towards him from behind. "What did you say?" Michael guessed that it was the language of the prisoner, that the dwarf had spoken, not being surprised in the slightest that he was able to speak it.
"I asked her your question," the dwarf answered and stopped next to his ward. Michael looked back at the girl, but she just stared at them with pure hatred. "Why doesn't she answer," he asked his teacher. Sadness echoed in the old dwarf's voice after he said something in the strange language again and the girl shook her head. "She can't, my guess is they cut out her tongue."
"What?" Michael looked at him with widened eyes, "Why would they do that?" Solon shrugged, his face still clouded, and then said, "Humans, ..., scrap that, every race can be cruel to those that don't follow their own ways."
Michael clamped down his fist and thought about it, he had learned already that the southwest of the kingdom bordered on tribal territories and that those didn't follow the Idas church but to treat them like this only because they had differing opinions? Michael's anger was fueled by a sense of freedom, which he felt from the back of his mind.
Without turning to Solon, he asked, "What can we do?" The dwarf was silent for a moment while he contemplated their options and what he should tell the young lord. He was careful to not suggest anything that could endanger his ward or give him any dumb ideas like trying to free her or something. "She was gifted to your father, so you will either have to convince him to free her or that he gifts her to you."
"How can you even gift a person; the church forbids slavery."
"The church only protects those that follow its faith, slavery is not that uncommon in the kingdom. The only reason you haven't seen any yet is that your father neither trusts them nor wants any anywhere near his castle. Normally that is." Michael's brain was turning with the information, how selfish, that was not the way the faith had been portrayed to him by Sister Sola. That is not how he felt when he thought about Idas.
With a last look at the prisoner, Michael turned around and began to walk back to the festivities. He only took a few steps when the voice of his mentor followed him, "What are you going to do, Michael?" He could hear the worry in his voice. Michael turned around with a sly smile, "I am gonna do what you taught me, gather some information, make a plan, and see where it takes me." The worry vanished from Solon's face, and he followed the boy with a slight smile.
It took nearly an hour to get back into the hall, find his uncle, and get his attention but he had finally managed it.
"Michael, how are you doing?" His uncle ruffled his hair and smiled at his nephew. "I am pretty good, I was wondering if you could tell me the story, of how you captured the barbarian girl." Lord Grim raised an eyebrow, "These kinds of things are a little too brutal for a child your age."
"Please Uncle, I am not that little anymore and I heard many brutal stories in my lessons," Michael tried to put up the facade of an innocent and curious boy to not freak out his uncle with his way too mature way of talking that he normally had. "Right, your father told me that you are a really curious boy, and he doesn't adhere to the concept of sheltering his kids anyway. Alright, then I will tell you."
He made himself comfortable on his chair and began the story.
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Duncan Grim - 2 Months Prior
Lord Grim was sitting on the back of his horse watching the slaughter. The element of surprise was firmly on their side as they burned down the barbarian's village. This specific clan had raided deep into his territory in the last couple of months, killing, plundering, and dragging away his people, but they had gotten sloppy. A month before his scouts had been able to track the last raiding party through the snow and locate their village. Even if they noticed, they probably wouldn't have expected the soft people of the kingdom to brave the winter into enemy land, but they had underestimated Lord Duncan Grim and now had to face the consequences.
The kingdom's troops had attacked in the middle of the night and to call the ambush successful would have been an understatement. Nearly half of the houses were burning before the savages knew what hit them. After stumbling out of their houses they were met by the knights of House Grim and the slaughter had commenced. It was over already, his men were clearing the houses right now, their victory already assured, they didn't need to set them aflame just yet and destroy valuables or risk the life of any citizen that still could be saved.
He grinned and watched as his men carried valuables and dragged prisoners out of the houses, that weren't burning. These savages never learn, they raided the kingdom and thought themselves better only to be shown their place shortly after, at least they would pay a little for the damages they had inflicted.
Suddenly he heard a crashing sound when one of his knights was catapulted through a door. He fell to the ground and squirmed to get the bend helmet off his head. Before anyone could react, a blur followed him through the door and planted an axe into his chest. It was a girl standing over the now certainly dead knight, clothed in only a simple shirt and pants, her face covered in blood and growling with rage.
Lord Grim held up his hand, stopping his men from swarming the girl, and got off his horse. He approached the girl, his sword in hand and a smile on his face. Showing his own abilities from time to time helped the morale after all. She made the first move and approached him with inhuman speed, looking more like a charging animal than a warrior. He wasn't just some knight though and let his mana flow into his blade, swinging it to shoot a blade of mana in her direction. She ducked under the mana blade and pounced at him, her sword and axe swung in his direction from different angles.
With a quick step back, he dodged the short axe and blocked the sword with his own, having to supply his arm with a surprising amount of mana to block the heavy strike. This girl was way stronger than she seemed but even though she was good and strong, she was emotional. Rushing in again, he could see the hatred in her eyes and for a moment he pitied the girl. Such promise, such talent, cut short.
Blocking her sword again, he swung his armored fist against the head of her axe, and with a loud crack it flew away. He used his position to swing at her head with his free hand.
She ducked under the strike and pushed herself with all her strength headfirst into him. Surprised by the total lack of self-preservation, Lord Grim reacted not fast enough to dodge, he could see her teeth as she opened her mouth, it being the only weapon she had and going for his throat.
How dumb is this girl? A shock wave erupted from the count and sent the savage girl flying, crashing into the snow-covered ground five meters away. She shook her head and tried to get back on her feet but Lord Grim was already above her.
"You are quite amusing," with these words his fist found her temple and she lost consciousness.